Desmopressin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Desmopressin is a factor viii activator sold in the U.S. under 5 brand and generic names, for enuresis, hemorrhage and thrombocytopenia. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Factor Viii Activator
- Treats (across its forms)
- Enuresis, Hemorrhage and Thrombocytopenia
- Available as
- Injectable · Tablet · Spray/Inhaler, metered
- Sold as
- 5 products — Ddavp, Ddavp (Needs No Refrigeration) and Nocdurna, and others
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $0.37 per ml — not your price
How Stimate is dosed
From the FDA label for Stimate (application NDA020355). Other desmopressin products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Instruct patients to prime pump prior to use. ( 2 ) Patients weighing at least 50 kg: 300 mcg (one spray in each nostril). ( 2.2 ) Patients weighing less than 50 kg: 150 mcg administered as a single spray ( 2.2 ) Should not be used in infants younger than 11 months. ( 2.2 ) Not indicated for patients who require less than a 150 mcg dose. ( 2.2 ) 2.1 Pretreatment Testing and On-Treatment Monitoring Hemophilia A Laboratory tests for assessing patient status include levels of Factor VIII coagulant, Factor VIII antigen and Factor VIII ristocetin cofactor (von Willebrand factor) as well as activated partial thromboplastin time. Factor VIII coagulant activity should be determined before giving STIMATE for hemostasis. If Factor VIII coagulant activity is present at less than 5% of normal, STIMATE should not be relied on. von Willebrand's Disease Laboratory tests for assessing patient status include levels of Factor VIII coagulant activity, VWF:RCo and VWF:Ag. Fluid Restriction Instruct patients about appropriate fluid restriction during STIMATE treatment. Fluid restriction should be observed, and fluid intake should be limited to a minimum, from 1 hour before desmopressin administration, until at least 24 hours after administration [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )]. 2.2 Recommended Dosage The recommended dosage for patients weighing at least 50 kg is 300 mcg intranasal spray…
Everything below is the FDA label for Stimate (spray/inhaler, metered). Desmopressin is also sold as injectable and tablet, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Stimate side effects
The following serious reactions are described below and elsewhere in the labeling: Hyponatremia [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )]. Hypotension and Hypertension [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 )] . Altered Absorption in Patients with Changes in Nasal Mucosa [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 )] . Hypersensitivity Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )] . Increased Risk of Thrombosis in Patients with von Willebrand’s Disease Type IIB [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.5 )] . The following adverse reactions have been identified during post-approval use of desmopressin acetate intranasal formulations. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure: Cardiac disorders : Tachycardia, palpitations Eye disorders : Eye redness, eye itchiness, light sensitivity Gastrointestinal disorders : Nausea*, abdominal cramps/pain*, dyspepsia General disorders and administration site conditions : Peripheral edema*, fatigue*, chills, chest pain Immune system disorders : Hypersensitivity reactions Investigations : Weight increased* Metabolism and nutrition disorders : Hyponatremia Nervous system disorders : Headache, somnolence, dizziness, insomnia, hyponatremic convulsions Psychiatric disorders : Confusional state* Respiratory,…
Who shouldn’t take Stimate
STIMATE is contraindicated in patients with: Known hypersensitivity to desmopressin acetate or to any of the components of STIMATE. Severe allergic reactions and anaphylaxis have been reported [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )]. Hyponatremia or a history of hyponatremia [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] . Type IIB von Willebrand's disease [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.5 ) Known or suspected syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) secretion [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] . Known hypersensitivity to desmopressin acetate or to any of the components of STIMATE ( 4 , 5.4 ) Hyponatremia or a history of hyponatremia ( 4 , 5.1 ) Type IIB von Willebrand's disease ( 4 , 5.5 ) Known or suspected syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) secretion. ( 4 )
Stimate drug interactions
Other Drugs that may Increase Risk of Hyponatremia: Monitor serum sodium more frequently. ( 7.1 ) Other Vasoconstrictors: May require a reduction of the STIMATE dosage. ( 7.2 ) 7.1 Other Drugs that may Increase Risk of Hyponatremia The concomitant administration of STIMATE with other drugs that may increase the risk of water intoxication with hyponatremia, (e.g., tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, chlorpromazine, opiate analgesics, NSAIDs, lamotrigine, and carbamazepine) requires more frequent serum sodium monitoring [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 ) and Adverse Reactions ( 6 )] . 7.2 Other Vasoconstrictors Desmopressin acetate can elevate blood pressure. Use of large doses of STIMATE with other vasoconstrictors may require a reduction of the STIMATE dosage [ see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 ) ] .
Every desmopressin product we track (5)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 72/100 | Prescription | Injectable | Generic | $0 | View → | |
| 2 | 72/100 | Prescription | Spray/Inhaler | Generic | $0 | View → | |
| 3 | 72/100 | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $0 | View → | |
| 4 | 72/100 | Prescription | Spray/Inhaler | Generic | $0 | View → | |
| 5 | 72/100 | Prescription | Spray/Inhaler | Generic | $0 | View → |
What desmopressin pills look like
Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.
Desmopressin recalls
From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.
How long desmopressin keeps
The date on a sealed pack is not the only one: some desmopressin labels start a second clock once the product is opened or mixed, as short as 6 months.
Does desmopressin expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsDesmopressin and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for desmopressin: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadDesmopressin from a nasal spray is excreted in negligible amounts into milk and is poorly absorbed orally by the infant, so it appears acceptable to use during breastfeeding. There is no published experience with sublingual desmopressin during breastfeeding. Until more data become available, sublingual desmopressin should be used with caution during breastfeeding, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised March 17, 2021. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about desmopressin
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 2,168 reports naming desmopressin, and the FDA flagged 74% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- hyponatraemia237 reports
- headache112 reports
- nausea108 reports
- vomiting88 reports
- fatigue79 reports
- dizziness65 reports
- diarrhoea59 reports
- asthenia57 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean desmopressin caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is Stimate?
Stimate (Desmopressin Acetate) is a factor viii activator used to treat Enuresis, Hemorrhage, Thrombocytopenia, Von Willebrand Diseases.
What kind of drug is desmopressin?
The FDA classifies desmopressin as a factor viii activator. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take desmopressin with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run desmopressin against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is desmopressin sold under?
We track 5 desmopressin-containing products in the U.S.: Ddavp, Ddavp (Needs No Refrigeration), Nocdurna, Stimate and Stimate (Needs No Refrigeration). They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does desmopressin come in?
Across the brands we track, desmopressin is currently marketed as injectable, tablet and spray/inhaler, metered, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic desmopressin?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled desmopressin product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.
Has desmopressin been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement database lists 1 recall record whose product description mentions desmopressin. The most recent: Desmopressin Nasal Spray (Apr 8, 2026). A recall applies to specific lots, not to the drug as a whole — check the record for the affected lot numbers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Desmopressin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/desmopressin
- MLA
- “Desmopressin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/desmopressin.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for desmopressin on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.